Masakhane

Masakhane:

Masakhane is a three country project focussed on strengthening capabilities of CAL members and partners to campaign in country. The first phase of the project started in 2014 and ended in 2017. Masakhane uses learning in action as the basis of the strengthening capabilities goals. In other words, the learning emerges from activists in countries actually engaging directly in conceptualising, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating a campaign that meets real needs and is relevant and appropriate for the political, social and economic contexts of that country.

The main actors within Masakhane are activists from groups, formations and formal organisations and national organisations. The goal is to invest in developing and strengthening consciousness, competence and confidence within activists so that are able to lead the advocacy work in country and to make the connections between local realities and organising and global realities and organising. This could be, for example, making the links between a campaign on one country and the work of CAL and others at the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights or with a global network of women feminist activists. The Project links the activists with National NGOs so that these organisations can be strengthened through proactive advocacy and campaigning and become more effective in creating change at the personal, institutional, systemic and ideological levels.

There are four methodologies through which this work happens:

Feminist conversations ensuring that the analysis that underpins the campaigning in countries is able to articulate and take positions that get to the root causes of the challenges we face in relation to sexuality and gender

Conceptualising, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these campaigns

Engaging in sustained reflection and learning about what works insofar as campaigning in country is concerned and in relation to how best to make local to global linkages in this work

Learning exchanges of various kinds between activists within and between countries and between country level and regional level organising. This includes internships, volunteers placements, exchange visits, coaching and mentoring and attendance at institutes and skills building activities and events

Sub-granting and payments for events, activities and materials to campaign collectives in countries so that they are able to implement the campaign. The sub-grants also cover labour time of skilled and qualified staff to coordinate the implementation of the plans as well as staff to document the lived experiences of people who are non-conforming in relation to their sexuality and gender

The Masakhane Project will start its second phase in 2019 in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.